SPACED OUT IN LONDON

Spaced Out In London is a live recording of an exceptional gig in December 2002. It might well be Hawkwinds best live album of the 113 they released in the last 10 years. Too bad it's impossible to come by as this was only for sale directly from the band in the 2003 tour.

First of all there's the set list, Hawkwind rides fiercely through an extensive set of classic tracks and rarities. They unearthed some long-forgotten gems here like Aerospaceage Inferno and Gremlin Song from Calvert's first solo album, also Lemmy's The Watcher, Time Captives from Arthur Brown and a few other rare tracks make their appearance. Second reason to get hold of this album would be the presence of Arthur Brown on quite a few songs. Brown's commanding baritone and occasional craziness fits Hawkwind very well. He handles about half of the tracks here next to Brock and basically everyone else from the line up. Alan Davey does an excellent take on the Watcher.

The sound is excellent and captures this lively concert flawlessly. If you like Brown's eccentric voice you should enjoy this as much as Space Ritual. In fact, the basic sound of guitar, bass and drums and the energy of the performance comes very close to that album. Even the album art echoes the legendary album. On top of that you get tons of synth washes and spacey effects. Yes, on stage, Hawkwind still delivers the goods.

There's a lot of choice in Hawkwind's live discography and even though all albums are likely to please fans, this one really stands out. Almost tempted to five stars here.